Joe Newton: From Brentford to Spurs – life as a first-team analyst

Our guest on Episode #79 of the TGG Podcast is Joe Newton.

Joe was part of Thomas Frank's inner circle at both Brentford and Tottenham and is a new breed of analyst.

After starting as a youth player at Tranmere and Wrexham, he got a degree and Masters in performance analysis and secured a job at the New Saints in Wales. 

His big break came when he was appointed first-team analyst at Brentford, where he forged a close relationship with Frank and helped the club gain promotion to the Premier League.

After that came a brief and turbulent spell at Tottenham, which ended in the sack in February 2026. 

Joe told us about his progression in the game, about what makes Brentford special, why things went wrong at Tottenham and about his special relationship with Frank.

In this episode we also have an interview with Adam Ridgewell, who worked for Southampton for five years before becoming Account Manager with Genius Sports.

Adam told us how clubs like Brentford are using Genius Sports' tracking data and Performance Studio to gain an edge in the game.

SHOW NOTES =>

02:00: What have you been up to since leaving Tottenham in February? Break from the 24/7 nature of football.

04:47: How did you get started in football? Tranmere youth player/ unique University partnership at Wrexham. Does having been a player help your analysis?

12:41: Joining Brentford. Excellent interview process led by Luke Stopforth.

14:58. Why Brentford are experts in staff development and case study of Set Piece Analysts. 

17:32: Transporting staff doesn't mean you transport a culture. Reasons why Brentford culture is so good and how they consistently punch above their weight. Alignment right from the top, with owner Matthew Benham.

23:47: Role progression at Brentford. How Genius Sports Performance Studio helped him in the job. How involved was Thomas Frank when it came to Performance Studio and data?

29:17: What does the First Team Analyst role entail, day to day and week to week?

34:31: Getting national attention when his post-match analysis session on Sky Sports went viral.

39:30: Thomas Frank taking him to Tottenham.

41:17: New title at Tottenham was Coach-Analyst. Did the role change much from Brentford?

45:20: Size and scale of Tottenham. Contrast with Brentford.

46:34: Why did things go wrong at Tottenham? Lessons and learnings.

54:06: Did the style of play change from Brentford to Tottenham?

55:57: What is Thomas Frank like to work with? Will he bounce back after Tottenham setback?